My apologies for not posting. I’ve been suffering fatigue and just kind of digging out of it slowly. Yes, I’m still reading, actually more ebooks than print lately. Why? Well, publishers have consolidated, ruthlessly cut authors and series, no longer give a series a chance to develop a following and delay publication dates 18 months or more except on big name bestsellers. On top of all that, they raised prices and reduced quality of everything from the paper itself, to the crappy proofreading and editing. No wonder authors have turned to self-publishing. Earlier this year, cozy mystery writers had contracts canceled and whole series dropped. Now si-fi, fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian are getting the same treatment. Action, espionage, military thrillers and many mysteries, from humorous to noir have gone ebook.

Looking at my Amazon purchases, I found I ordered more non-book merchandise than books. Five years ago, the first Tuesday of the month meant UPS had sacks on boxes at my door. Now a get maybe 2 books a month, 4 in the high release months. Having moved from quality packaging, Amazon now also save money using padded envelopes, except the books often arrive with creased covers and scuffing thanks to Amazon and the PO abuse. When I spend $20+ on a book, is it too much to ask for a dust jacket that’s NOT TORN? A trade paperback with a bent, creased cover? Can the damn publishers not use recycled tissues for paper so thin I can see the print on the back of the page and despite great care, the fragile paper rips just turning a page? Better still, can they find printers who don’t leave blotches of link like mini-Rorschach tests all over the pages – often causing those frail thin pages to glue themselves to each other?

God knows ebooks are the prototype of bad proofreading – not to mention authors who seem unable to exercise even minimal self-discipline in CONTINUITY ERRORS – but they aren’t $20, either. I get a lot of them through Book Bub on sale for $0.99 to $2.99 and a lot of free books.

The big downside of ebooks is the fact most authors choose a short novel length. That might be what ebook readers prefer, but it often leaves the characters and plot wanting. Certainly, Golden Age mysteries were largely short novel length, with Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time being one of the finest mysteries ever written and one of the shortest. Christie’s books were all shorter novels, especially her best early works. Same for Hammett and even Chandler. But today’s writers are simply not in that class – or even close. Today’s writers lack the skills of compacting paragraphs of atmosphere into a single sentence. “It seemed like a nice neighborhood to have bad habits in,” from Chandler’s The Big Sleep tells you more that paragraphs about the setting and the atmosphere in a modern book.

But bemoaning the loss of mystery’s Golden Age is a bit pointless. Today’s books reflect the taste of modern readers and the fact they want easy, entertaining diversion – and apparently a limited vocabulary. Not many authors can command a wide audience other than a handful of big names that run more on the reputation for their past works than their often mediocre, formulaic current novels. Still, even ebooks have good, bad, and indifferent authors, so let’s see what we have for July/Aug mysteries.

PS: No, I have not lost my fondness for UF and paranormal, but most paranormal now seems to fall into mystery or romance genres. Pickings are lean there too. Some authors have nothing new out – due to the whole publisher issue or the fact they’ve just hit a dry spell I can’t say. I do have a few for the next print book reviews group.

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The newest entry in the Merry Wrath series is decent but choppy and frankly, not that credible, but still a fun read. Mud Run Murder is decent as an ebook, but try and borrow it unless you’re a hardcore fan. SHORT book. C+ to B- (3.7*)

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The Never Say Spy series books 1 to 10 that I binge read:

OK, this series is set in Canada and involves a cross between a spy series, near future virtual reality, and a book keeper who is mistaken for a deep cover spy. It has humor, heart, twists, turns, excitement, and some interesting takes on the James Bondish style send-up mixed with serious stuff. Each book, while part of an overarching story, is complete unto itself. Aydan Kelly, the woman who insists she’s a book keeper (which she is) is a terrific lead character, but would be more believable as someone 10 years younger. Book one, Never SaySpy, is free and ebook. Give it a try. I enjoyed the series a lot. The books ranged from C+ to B (3.6* to 4*)

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The House of Spies, the 17th book in the Gabriel Allon series, was the usual 500+ page tome by Daniel Silva. What it wasn’t was great. In fact, it barely made good. With a cast of ever character you can think of – and some extras, an episodic style, and no really solid lead, it limped along in Mediocreville. Completely miss-able. Get from the FOL sale or borrow it. Read the HC version – it was cheaper than the ebook. C- (2.8*) Not impressed by a usually reliable author. Retire Gabriel, please.

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How a really good series can cause an author to rush out a book before it’s time. Call of the Wilde is a very short book. Yes, it’s action packed because the author doesn’t take the time flesh out any of the many individual elements and it all becomes messy in the headlong rush to the big finale in London. Let’s do, not think. Never a good plan. Loose ends all over. The rush had predictable bad consequences. Not as well done as the earlier books. Unpolished and fragmented. My score is a C (3*). Had Ms Stark taken the time to just breath deeply and THINK, it would have been light-years better – and 50-75 pages longer.

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An interesting concept, a former Episcopal priest turned war vet turned professional poker player/trouble shooter. The Preacher was a book I wanted to like. It had all the anti-hero elements. It was dull, predictable, occasionally tedious, and just blah. The Preacher gets called into some dusty torn in New Mexico by and old seminary friend to find out what’s wrong. How he does this playing poker only works because the poker players are what’s wrong. As sere and dusty as eastern New Mexico. I was frustrated at wasting my time on this. My score C- (2.8*) and give it a miss.

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OK, a favorite author – G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston and a favorite series, the Dragon Kin. Bring the Heat was a sure bet – sort of. Now Branwen the Awful is a great character and so to is Aiden the Divine, what didn’t work do well is the choppy plot. You’ve got Annwyl the Bloody in Hell, the dragons wiping out the followers of the blind god, and Brannie and Aiden escorting Keita to poison another dragon queen because he son was kidnapped and murdered while under the Dragon Queen’s care. Anyhoo …… the scene switching is not unusual, but the story isn’t smooth or as interesting, which is a shame as Brannie is one of my favorite characters. My score is C+ (3.3*)